Héctor Bello's wife died attempting to save their daughter during the two powerful earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday afternoon, causing the collapse of their residential building in La Guaira state. Local media reported that the daughter survived the structural collapse.
Casualties and destruction
The seismic events, registering magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5, caused severe structural damage across several states, including La Guaira, Carabobo, Aragua, Miranda, and Caracas. Rescue teams recovered the woman's lifeless body from the rubble after intense searches, according to Notitarde. Authorities confirmed at least 188 deaths, with more than 200 people trapped and fears of additional fatalities. Approximately 1,500 people sustained injuries, and thousands were reported missing nationwide.
The coastal area of La Guaira, north of the capital Caracas, bore the brunt of the destruction and fatalities, authorities confirmed. Buildings were evacuated as far as Brazil's Amazon region, roughly 1,700 kilometers from Caracas, where the nation's primary airport suffered damage and shut down.
Rescue efforts and international aid
Television footage showed emergency personnel using power tools to break through debris. In La Guaira, former schoolteacher Juan Alberto Mendano witnessed a woman trapped and gesturing for help. "God, let them rescue her as quickly as possible," he said. "When we heard the scream, there was nothing we could do."
Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed power in January after Nicolas Maduro's detention, declared La Guaira a "disaster zone" and relocated rescue crews from across the nation. "Dozens of buildings have collapsed there... and we are currently carrying out intensive rescue operations to save lives," she stated. She urged companies to provide heavy machinery and noted that UN-certified search and rescue teams were en route. Offers of assistance came from around the globe, including the United States.
Survivors and aftershock warnings
State television showed three dust-covered but breathing youngsters extracted from debris in La Guaira. Officials implored residents to stay outdoors as aftershocks could cause additional damage. The US Geological Survey reported the first earthquake, magnitude 7.2, struck west of Moron on the Caribbean coast, approximately 170 kilometers west of Caracas, at a depth of about 22 kilometers. A minute later, a 7.5-magnitude quake hit with a depth of 10 kilometers and an epicenter 16 kilometers southwest of Moron.
Cristian Carreno gazed at his burnt apartment building leaning perilously in La Guaira. "I lost everything," he declared. "There are people still inside, I imagine, that couldn't get out. It's incredibly devastating." Dayana Delgado, a mother of three, pleaded for her missing eight-year-old son: "I want to know where my child is, if he's trapped or in a shelter."
Political and economic context
The natural disaster presents a significant test for acting President Delcy Rodriguez, the former vice president who assumed power in January following Maduro's detention. Venezuela has been grappling with economic turmoil for over a decade, with many citizens questioning the legitimacy of the political movement she embodies. President of the National Assembly Jorge Rodriguez provided revised casualty figures on Thursday. While Venezuela lies near several fault lines, powerful earthquakes are far less frequent than in other Latin American regions due to its location spanning the South American and Caribbean plates.
